Divining the future of media

MANILA, Philippines - The Dec. 31, 2012 issue of the long–running news magazine Newsweek released its final US edition, citing difficulties wrought by declining advertising and subscription revenues.

That undoubtedly sent a ripple of concern among print publications across the world which are faced with a shrinking share of advertising dollars in an era of greater consumption of online content. Suffice it to say that people are spending more time in front of a digital monitor (whether a mobile device or a desktop computer) than getting their fingers inky from browsing a broadsheet.

This and more issues were brought up at a gathering of key stakeholders at the recent “The Future of Media: Convergence, collaboration, and what’s next in the media biz” forum presented by Blog Watch, Philippine Online Chronicles, Vibal Foundation, PLDT, Smart, and Acer at the TechPortal of the Ayala Technohub in Quezon City.

“Media’s transition into the digital world is inevitable, with organizations now taking advantage of technologies that make user experiences easier, engaging, enriched, and basically more awesome,” declared an event release, which described “The Future of Media” as “a collaborative forum that will discuss the current practices, lay out demands for future strategies, and identify future trends for the business of media.”

Topics were more easily given focus by dividing the forum into four tracks: political and social advocacy, technology, lifestyle, and digital marketing.

The technology track featured four panelists: veteran news anchor Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan of Solar News Channel, ABS-CBN News Channel host Tony Velasquez, mobile director JV Rufino, and tech news editor Art Samaniego Jr.

It seems the Newsweek paradigm may not be unique, if one is to consider Samaniego’s pronouncement. “In the future, we will stop printing the paper. The newspaper is not our business, but the content,” he said.

Around 30 percent of people are getting their news through social media, continued Samaniego, saying, “If we will insist on being the bringer of news, we will not be relevant.” However, he also revealed that even if social media is quicker on the draw, half of the news we get online is false, and cited recent erroneous reports on the US nixing the need for visas for travelers.

That being the case, the editor went on to predict that people will “go back to trusted news sources for the news.” The change should thus be on the role of news organizations as “explainers” of news rather than suppliers of it.

For his part, Rufino disagreed that the print format will disappear in 10 years, but will evolve into a “curated luxury.” Based on consumption patterns, Rufino predicted: “Print will move toward tablets and e-readers.”

Consequently, even the classical style of writing features or even reportage will be trimmed into “snippets” for “quick snacking on the road.” In line with this evolution, Rufino said he expects the traditional media role to evolve from pure reportage into having to “verify, makes sense of, explain, and clarify it all.”

Velasquez, on the other hand, revealed that ABS-CBN is already “prepared to shift to digital broadcasting,” and is presently testing equipment in several key locations in north and central Luzon. “We can foresee the gradual shift in the next five years,” he said.

A digital platform, continued Velasquez, will enable the network to add four to seven channels, as well as an ability to embed data toward hosting emergency broadcasting services in tandem with the government.

Consequently, the TV journalist said, “The next 10 years should free up analog frequencies as white space,” which could then be used to propagate wireless broadband Internet access.  “It has inherent benefits, including stronger and wider signal penetration… We do know that white space Internet propagation is going to be the future for us, as we envision that we will be able to send more data further and more economically than present 3G or 4G systems.”

Velasquez added that ABS-CBN has seen a growth in the consumption of content through means other than the television. “More than 50 percent of viewers now want to access content through other platforms such as mobile devices.”

But no matter how media as shaped by technology evolve in the next 10 years and beyond, Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan expressed hope in one thing: “(That) technology is there not to divide us but to bring us together.”